Vocaloid Hunger Games
by Ryu Nashua Kai
Summary: Rin is your average girl living in a crazy world, until she volunteers for her brother, Len, to go into the 101st Annual Hunger Games, but she's up against one of her best friends, Uta Utatane, also known as Defoko. She also alliances with a boy she may or may not be falling in love with. Rin goes from being a naive girl, to a young woman forced to watch all those close to her die.
1. Chapter 1

I wake up to the smell of a delicacy. Bacon! I hop out of my dirty bed in which feels like grain and rush into the kitchen, which is literally one door away.

"Hi, little bro." I mumble, seeing the back of his blonde ponytail. "Scared?"

"N-No!" The younger child retorts. "And I'm only younger than you by ninety seconds!"

"You're still younger." I jeer, suddenly wide awake.

"Rin, Len; that is e_nough_!" Says our eldest sibling Meiko, who is basically our mother. She flips her brunette pixie cut out of her face before continuing. "Rin, say you're sorry."

"No." I turn my pale body around, flipping my shoulder length blonde hair with me. "You're not my mother."

That was the wrong thing to say, obviously. Meiko _hated _talking about Mom, or Dad, for that matter.

"Well I'm the best you're going to get!" Shrieked that 21 year old.

I lowered my cerulean eyes to the floor. "Whatever." I mumble, sitting down at my plate.

I look at my little brother, that little boy, so defenseless.

"Ow!" Len yelped as I pinched his skinny arm.

"RIN!" Meiko screamed.

Time to run. I shove the bacon in my mouth. "Fanks for the breffast!" I yell and run out of the house.

Meiko doesn't even try to run after me. She knows she'll never catch me. I'm the fastest kid in my school. I can run four hundred meters in thirty-two seconds.

I find my friends Gumi and Kaiko. They're playing hopscotch.

"Thirty!" Gumi declares proudly, as she hops ten squares ahead of Kaiko. Her green hair floating behind her like a bubble.

"What?" The blue-hair behind her mopes, "only five more squares and you win!" Kaiko's deep blue and indigo eyes go from shock to determination. She picks up her rock and slams it hard on the 'thirty-five' box. "Ha!" She winks at Gumi. "I win again."

"Not for long." I yell and run up to them.

Gumi embraces me. "Rin!" She cries, her bright green eyes sparkling. "Beat Kaiko in hopscotch for once. She's impossible to beat!"

Kaiko smirks. "Winner gets bragging rights for a week."

"If we're _here _in a week." Gumi says grimly.

"Will you _stop_?" Kaiko moans. "Can we _not _think about this? Let's just play a nice ordinary round of hopscotch."

I wince. "Go easy on her, Kaiko. Remember what happened to Gumo, okay?"

The mention of Gumo makes Gumi burst out into tears. Gumo was her brother two years in her senior. He been killed, victim to the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games are what happened hundreds of years ago. Our country, VocalUtau (VU), rose up out of the ashes of a place once called Japan. There were disasters, droughts, storms, fires, tsunamis, wars, you name it.

The result was VocalUtau, a shining Capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprisings of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth destroyed. The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, gave us the Hunger Games, a 'game' televised on live TV.

The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must present one boy and one girl of ages twelve through eighteen, called tributes, to participate. The twenty-four tributes will then be imprisoned in an arena that can hold anything from a scorching hot desert to an arctic wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the 'tributes' need to fight to the death. The last person standing wins.

We are in District Twelve. We don't have much food, or water to keep us going. We get about 500 calories a day… if that.

Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 get the most food because they provide the best luxuries to the Capitol. District 1 provides clothing, District 2 provides jewels and other precious rarities, District 3 provides electronics, and District 4 provides hand-polished wood and metal.

Our district provides paper.

"_Shut up_!" Screams our neighbor; nicknamed Sweet Anne. "You're not the only one who's scared."

I glare at "Sweet" Anne, as I rub Gumi's back, trying to get her to calm down.

I whisper to Gumi, "Our names are only in there three times and there are thousands more. They're not going to pick you, or me, or Kaiko."

To pick the tributes, they have a public "reaping" in the city circle. Basically, your name is in a gigantic bowl with all of the other children your gender. Your name goes in as many times as the second digit of your age. Twelve year olds go in twice; thirteen year olds go in three times, and so on.

A woman from VocalUtau, the Capitol, comes up and reads the names out loud.

Then, the two tributes that have been chosen are whisked away to the Capitol to be pampered and made "dolls" so they get sponsors, rich people from the Capitol that pay to send the tributes whatever they need.

After that, the tributes start their training (which is not televised), based on their score in the game-maker's private viewing, (1 being "Oh she'll die in the first day" and 12 being "This boy has a 99.9% chance of winning)", they'll get sponsors.

I keep rubbing Gumi's back, humming her favorite tune to try and calm her down.

"Shh, Gumi, none of us will end up like your brother."

"Gumo!" Gumi sobs, her shoulders racking with each breath intake.

Okay, I remember last year's Hunger Games were the worst.

I remember squeezing Kaiko and Gumi's hands, praying, _not me_, _not me_; _please keep my friends and family with me_, _not me_…

The lady from the Capitol, Hachune, reached into the clear crystal bowl that read all the names, she was a midget so her teal hair reached down to her feet as she stepped onto the stepstool, blushing like an idiot while her filed canines glinted in the early September morning. She was wearing a pink Northface and jeans with brown cowboy boots.

My blood turned to ice as she pulled out the name. There was a dramatic pause and you could hear the paper factories mulling in the background miles away.

Hachune smiled and said, "Our young lady tribute shall be…"

_Not me_, _not me_, _not me_! I thought desperately.

Hachune's eyes glinted as she said the name.

"Zatsune, Miki."

My heart leaped at the thought of Miki being sent to her death. I've always hated her. She used to tease Len when she was ten and he was seven. I had seen Len with the all of the boy thirteen-year-olds clench his fist as if to say, "_Finally_!"

But then I had a good look at her. That usual smug look she had was replaced by a sniveling, red-nosed, puffy-eyed look. Miki had the same hairstyle as Hachune, pigtails, only she had black hair that reached to her mid-calf. Her black eyes were big, and she was mumbling, "Why me?"

She had walked slowly up to the stage in silence, while Hachune clapped her hands off, only to realize that nobody else was, but that didn't stop her.

Miki had stood next to her, hands stiffly towards her side, head down.

Hachune stood on an even taller stepstool and put her arm around Miki.

"So," She had said, shaking the younger girl by the shoulders. "How do you feel about receiving the honor of representing District Twelve in the 100th annual Hunger Games?"

Miki had said with a strained and choked voice, "Uh, um…" She paused to wipe her nose on her sleeve. "I'm scared." She wiped the right corner of her left eye with her shoulder.

Hachune planted an obviously phony smile on her tan colored lip balmed lips. "Did you hear that?" She said to the audience. "The child is scared straight, anyone want to volunteer as tribute?"

Of course, nobody stepped forward, and Miki began to sob.

Hachune didn't notice, of course, because she was already at the boys' crystal bowl.

I had felt a sudden worry that Len would be picked.

I glanced over to see that he was biting his nails.

I clasped my hands together, shut my eyes, and prayed.

Hachune had put her hand in the bowl, and grabbed the first name she could.

"Megpoid, Gumo!"

It was silent, and then we had heard a loud cry. Everyone turned and stared at the girl next to me. It was Gumi.

"Guuuumo!" She shrieked.

Gumo had looked our way, and put his hands up in her direction, stretching all of his fingers into a half-point.

Gumi, hunched over and sobbing, put a shaking right hand out and clenched in his direction.

Gumo had said, "I love you" with his hand motion.

Gumi had motioned that she had caught it.

That was when she fell.

I had lain on the couch in the living room, watching the Hunger Games with Gumi. She squeezed my hand hard enough that it hurt.

A few weeks into the Games, it came down to the final two. Miki had been killed in the first day, fighting for supplies. I had screamed to the TV, forgetting that she couldn't hear me, "RUN MIKI!" But then I heard the _thunk_ of a knife in her back. As she coughed up blood, the girl that had stabbed her; kicked Miki in the ribs, making her fall. Miki wasn't totally dead yet, because the cannon didn't sound, marking her death, but then I saw it… that horrible knife hit her neck, completely dismembering her head from her shoulders.

_Boom_!

Miki was the first to go.

Gumo had enough sense to ditch the supplies and head straight for the woods, and that was what had gotten him into the final two.

He and a girl from District Eight had been fighting it out for two days, not pausing to sleep.

Gumi was really excited, "Gumo could be coming home!" She screamed. "He coul—"

Fatigue had overcome Gumo, and he had shut his eyes, leaned against a tree, and mumbled, "Kill me, kill me now."

The girl raised her knife, "Any last words?" She looked sorry to have to kill him.

"Yeah," Gumo said. "I'm sorry to do… _this_!" He pulled out his spear from behind his back, and sunk a hole in the girl's chest.

She was dead before she landed on top of him, her knife still clenched in both hands. If the knife hadn't been there, he would've lived, but the knife _was _there, and it sunk right into his chest.

There was no winner for the 100th annual Hunger Games.

And Gumi had been beside herself.

I shake my head, forgetting that memory, and focus my attention back on Gumi.

Kaiko shakes her head. "It's time." She says.

I lead a still sobbing Gumi behind a school house while everyone slowly makes their way to the reaping.

I let Gumi regain her composure before walking slowly to the fourteen-year-old girls' line.

I swallow deeply.

Let the reaping start.

I clasp Kaiko's hand in mine and give it a squeeze.

I clasp onto Gumi's shoulder and give it a shake.

They smile weakly.

I look ahead and see Hachune. She's dressed in blue a printed T-shirt with silver sparkles outlining the words "I WANT MORE" with a treble cleft on the bottom. She has blue All-Star jeans with a star on the back in silver rhinestones and the actual jean cutoff is at the ankle. Her teal pigtails are held up in pink scrunchies and she's wearing red rectangular glasses.

She smiles with her filed-down-to-a-point canines flashing in the camera.

"Welcome, welcome to the 101st Annual Hunger Games," Hachune gushes, "Let's switch it up. Gentlemen first!"

She steps on the stepstool and dips her hand in the crystal bowl.

My stomach gives a disgusting lurch.

"And the young man, representing District Twelve will be…" Hachune pauses to unfold the golden piece of parchment.

"Shion, Kaito."


	2. Chapter 2

_ No_. I think. _Not him_.

The blue-haired 18-year-old boy makes his way to the stage.

Kaiko bites her lip. She never cries, but she looks dangerously close to now. Her brother, the only one who doesn't abuse her at home, is being sent away.

Kaiko isn't a great kid. She gets in trouble at school and doesn't do her work.

Meiko adores her, and lets her spend the night when her mother gets abusive.

One time, Miss Shion glued Kaiko's hands to a wall and whipped her until she was spitting blood. Then she ripped Kaiko's hands off of the wall, tearing the skin from her palms like peeling an apple. We heard screams, but Kaiko didn't cry, and that's when she spent the night for three weeks.

Now Kaiko has no one to help her out at home.

Kaito was also my twin brother's best friend, despite the four year age difference.

"I volunteer!" I hear the high-pitched voice in which could only belong to my brother.

Someone screams, "No!" at the top of their lungs, only to realize that it's me.

Len looked back and gave me a weak smile.

"Don't! Please, don't do it!" I screamed. I felt hands grab my arms as I frantically tried to run up to him, "stop!" I shout partly to Len and partly to the people restraining me.

The hands let go and I run as fast as I can up to him.

There are gasps as I tackle him to the floor, smack him across the face and shout, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? YOU'RE SO SMALL! YOU'VE NEVER HELD A WEAPON!"

He looked at me for a second, wiped his nose, and said, "I know." He then pushed me off of him.

"I volunteer." I said without thinking. "I volunteer to be the boy tribute."

Hachune looked pleased.

"Very well." She winked at me. "Come on up, darling!"

What was I thinking? I start to make my way up to the plaque, shaking. I'm glad Hachune grabs my hand as I mount my way up the stairs, or I would've fallen.

"I bet that was your brother!" She smiles as if this was the happiest moment of my life.

In a barely audible and cracking voice, I say, "Yes."

I notice Gumi and Kaiko in the audience. Gumi is crying and Kaiko has bitten her lip so hard it's bleeding.

"My dear, what is your name?" Hachune winks.

"Rin. Rin Kagamine." I stutter.

Hachune moves onto the girls' crystal bowl.

She dips her hand in and shouts, "Utatane, Uta!"

_No_. I think. _Not Defoko_.

Defoko was Uta's nickname. She's only twelve, so I could hear a murmuring in the crowd like every year when a twelve-year-old gets chosen.

Defoko looks proudly at the sky. She's really good at hiding her emotions, but I could always tell she had a crush on Len.

Hachune smiled, no teeth showing between her tan lips.

"You seem proud!" Hachune sidles.

"It is a great honor to be chosen for the Hunger Games," Defoko lies through her teeth. "I am very proud."

She isn't, and everybody but Hachune knows that.

"Our hearts will be with yours." Hachune gushes. "Any volunteers?"

Of course nobody stepped up to the plate.

"Happy Hunger Games!"

Defoko and I are being escorted to the ten-minute-a-session goodbye room.

I am first visited by Meiko and Len.

The first thing I do is smack Len across the face. "If it weren't for _you_," I spit, "I wouldn't even be in this predicament!"

He looks down. "Sorry."

"My blood is on _your _shoulders, buddy!"

"I _said _I'm sorry!" He stands up.

"Well 'sorry' isn't going to cut it!" I'm standing too.

We're in each other's faces now.

"I might have to kill Defoko, now!" I spit. "The one girl who had a crush on you, and loves us!"

"I'M SORRY!" He grabs me by the shirt.

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU BASTARD!"

"ENOUGH!" Meiko is in a rage. "Your brother is sorry, Rin."

I look down. "I know…"

Meiko grabs me by the shoulders. "Come. Home." She whispers.

In a cracking voice, I say, "I will, I promise."

A man comes in the room. "Time is up, ma'am."

I hug Len and Meiko until the man pulls us apart.

"No!" I shout, "Don't let them take me, Meiko!"

Meiko tries to pull out of the man's grasp, but doesn't go anywhere.

"Rin! I love y—!" The door is slammed in my face.

And tears are streaming down it.

The next visit is from Gumi.

We sit in silence for a while, and then she bursts into tears again.

"Come back to me." She whispers and, unable to control herself, runs out of the room.

Kaiko walks in. "Hey, Kaiko." I sigh and smile sadly.

Kaiko grabs me by the shoulders and says, "Look, you're no Katniss Everdeen,"

Katniss Everdeen was a girl who wrote an autobiography about how her country does the Hunger Games, and published it only in other countries.

"But you have the skills to beat this thing. Unlike Katniss, you don't have a drunk mentor."

"I don't _have _a mentor."

"No difference."

"Kaiko, don't let Meiko and Len starve!" I blurt out.

"I wouldn't."

"Ankle shake on that."

"Okay."

Kaiko and I stand up. I hold out my pinkie. Kaiko wraps hers around mine.

We spin in unison and connect our other pinkies, we're now standing backwards of each other.

All in unison, we lift up our right legs, let our legs slide to each other's ankle, spin around to our left, disconnect our pinkies, and slap our palms together. By the time I'm done I'm in a fit of giggles.

Kaiko chuckles, and then gets deadly serious. "Come home."

I freeze. Those were the words that Meiko used.

"Time's up." That guy is back.

We kiss each other's cheeks and as she slips out of the room. I feel, dead.

Kaito is my next visitor.

Yeah, like I _really _wanna see him.

"Oh hey!" I say in an overly cheery tone, letting my eyes look up as if I'm happy and a fake smile plastering my face that obviously looks sarcastic.

That was on purpose.

"How're you feeling?"

"Oh just dandy! I mean, wouldn't _you _feel great if you were about to be sent to your death?" I say, with that sarcastic smile still plastered to my face.

Kaito didn't say anything.

"Oh yeah!" I say, the smile not going anywhere, "That was supposed to be _you_, wasn't it?"

The expression on Kaito's face told me enough.

That's me in a bundle for ya! Smart mouthed Rin Kagamine!

You still got it, Rin.

"Hey, I can't control what your brother did—"

Cue cutoff.

"Don't you go bringing my brother into this! He has been duly scolded! Plus, _you _could've stopped him by saying, 'No volunteers!' but you didn't. You let a child like me, four years in your _junior_ like me, take your place. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Kaito had nothing.

My voice was turning into a yell. "If I die, your blood will also be on my shoulders, and I am never, _ever _going to forgive you. Ever. Now get out. I don't ever want to see you again. Leave!"

"But—"

"I said _leave_."

Kaito trudged out of the room. I wanted to kill him.

The door opened to reveal my last visitor, she looked very sad and tremble-y.

It was also the person I expected the least.


	3. Chapter 3

Defoko hugged me and sobbed.

I held her head against my chest, stroking her purple hair.

"I'm not going to win, am I?" Defoko hiccups.

"No." I've never lied to her, and I'm not going to start now. "But I promise… I will keep you alive as long as Fate allows me."

Defoko nuzzled her face into my bosom – or lack of – causing me to blush.

I lift her face out of my chest.

"I have asthma," she sniffles, "I'll die the first day."

I grab her cheeks and look into her purple eyes. "Not while I'm alive." I rub the tears out of her eyes with a tissue on the table, and get up to the sink. I splash water in her face, leave it there for a minute, and then wiped it off with a fluffy orange towel. "Crying makes you look weak." I shook my finger in her face, making her giggle.

Her face wasn't red anymore.

"Can you tell me a story?" She said. "We still have five minutes."

A story? We're going to _die _and she wants to hear a _story_? But she's only twelve so…

"Once upon a time, there was a princess with a short purple pixie cut and indigo eyes."

Defoko laughed.

"Her name was Princess Uta Utatane, but she insisted that everyone call her Defoko. Not Princess Defoko, not Sire Defoko, and not Majesty Defoko; just plain old Defoko."

I sit down on the couch, and Defoko leans next to me.

"She disguised herself as a commoner and bought lots of things from the shopkeepers. One day, she saw a commoner, he had blonde hair and blue eyes. She thought it was funny that he had a ponytail in the back of his head."

Defoko laughed. "Len!" Her face was creased with laughter lines and she looked so young.

"So she went up to him and said, 'Now why do you have that silly looking ponytail in the back of your head?' The boy laughed, a really short laugh.

"'Because all of the girls will come after me if they knew I was a boy!' he said. The princess giggled. 'Would you like to come over for some tea… erm—'

"'Len.' The boy said. 'Yes, Len.' Defoko said."

Defoko started giggling.

"Len nodded and asked where he should meet her. 'At the castle, I live in the castle.' Defoko laughed at Len's astonished expression. 'See you there?' she asked.

"'Yes.' Said Len."

Defoko looked at her watch. Two minutes.

"Defoko waited hours for Len, but he didn't show. _Perhaps he is a little late_? She wondered.

"Finally, the boy did show. 'Tea?' he said. 'Give me the tea, Uta.'

"Defoko was appalled. 'My name is Defoko! Three syllables De-fo-ko!' Len sighed. 'Whatever. Just gimme the tea.' He looked like he was in a hurry to leave."

Defoko sighed.

"But Defoko didn't give him the tea. In fact, she gave him a slap in the face, a kick in the pants, and a tug in his hair."

Defoko looked like she was about to faint. She was laughing so hard.

"'Bow down to Your Princess!' Defoko yelled at Len. Suddenly, Defoko heard a voice that sounded like, 'Len? Your girlfriend Gumi is here!'

"'Who's that and how did she get in here?' Defoko sniped. As she said that, a girl in her underwear threw open the door, 'Gimme back my clothes!'"

Defoko had fallen off of the couch in laughter.

The last lines of the story were barely audible because I knew in my mind, that this would be the last happy moment with Defoko.

"And Defoko picked them both up…" my voice cracked. "…and threw them out the window." I barely say before the tears start rolling down my pale cheeks and onto the red velvet couch.

Who will enjoy watching our deaths?


	4. Chapter 4

"Tears make you look weak." Defoko said, shaking a finger in my face.

"Time's up!" The guy says.

I splash water on my face to get rid of the splotchy redness. I never cry. So why am I now?

Defoko and I are ushered into a train with a gigantic television in one of the carts. We sit in front of the flatscreen on lawnchairs.

The Hunger Games flashes up in fire-y letters, and then burns to ash.

District One flies up on the screen. Hachune walks up to the stage and says her introduction. Then she reaches into the Girls' bowl.

"S-See-SeeU?" She stutters, trying to pronounce the girl's name.

A girl who looks surgically enhanced walks up to the stage and stands next to Hachune.

She has long, wavy, golden hair and black electronic cat ears sticking out of her scalp.

Hachune smiles, "How are you, darling?" She asks the girl.

She grinned. "The proudest I've ever been in my life." Her voice sounded mature, and had a slight Korean accent.

"How old are you, dear?" Hachune asks her. I _hate _people who call you, dear. It makes you sound weak.

"I'm seventeen."

I wince. _Seventeen_? No way, we will not stand a chance against a seventeen-year-old.

Hachune walks over to the boys' crystal bowl. "Radcliffe, Oliver."

A shaky looking boy walks up to the stage. Brown hair, and little eyes.

"H-hi. I-I'm Oliver. N-nice to m-meet you M-miss Hachune." He stutters.

"And how old are you, Hon?" Hachune asks.

"Th-thirteen."

_Thirteen_? He looked eight.

Other stuff happened, but all I was looking at was the boy.

And how easily he was going to get killed.

No.

I won't protect two kids.

I zone out until I see District 5.

"Hatsune, Miku!" Hachune shouts.

Miku has long teal pigtails held up in red scrunchies. She has nice big, teal eyes.

"Hello." Miku smiles, and shakes Hachune's hand. "How are you, Miss?"

Hachune grins. "Well you are the most polite person I've ever met. Who are your parents?"

Miku laughs. "Right there, in the front."

The camera zooms in on her parents.

"How old are you?" Hachune asks Miku.

Miku smiles. "Sixteen."

I think about that for a minute. Miku and I might've been good friends.

Hachune walks over to the boys' bowl.

"Utata, Piko." Hachune shouts.

I see a boy with white hair. That's all I see because his face is covered with hood.

"Nooooooooooo!" I hear a girl scream. She runs out. She's about six and she has a bigger chest than me. Her long, red, straight hair flows out behind her in a thigh-length braid.

"PIKOOOOO!" She screams.

The white-hair looks behind him, in doing so, his hood flies off his head. He has nice eyes. He's kind of cute.

"Yoko!" His voice is mature, but not grown up.

The girl, Yoko, has her arms held behind her back by Peacekeepers.

"Let me go!" She screamed. "PIKO!"

One of the Peacekeepers has some sort of gun. Whatever it is, Piko gets fidgety.

"Yoko, stop!"

"No! Piko!"

The Peacekeeper holding the gun jabs it into her side and pulls the trigger.

A scream echoes through the square.

The girl, Yoko, lay on the floor electrocuted.

"Is she dead?" Piko screamed.

The Peacekeepers shook their heads. "She is merely stunned."

"Hang on, Yoko! Imma tear these guys apart!" Piko shouts.

Unfortunately, he doesn't get to do so, because more Peacekeepers are holding him back.

"AARGH! LET GO OF ME!"

_Pewp_. I turn the TV off.

I look over at Defoko, she's silently crying.

I look down and smile. He's going to be my second alliance.

"What do we have here?" My stylist Lenka says, checking me over. I feel invaded and want to cover myself with something, anything.

She smiles. "You can put your robe back on."

I put the robe on my bare skin, still numb from being waxed, scrubbed, and slathered in some oily substance.

"So I was thinking, Rilane about what you should wear to represent your district." Lenka says.

"It's Rin, or you can call me Rinny." I say.

"Okay, _Rin_. I think, we should work on the _color _of the paper." Says Lenka.

I try to look interested in what she's saying, but I don't really pay attention until she pulls out the dress.

It's gorgeous. It's a white, puffy ball gown without any tulle, just silk. The top has many silver rhinestones under the bust line in a pattern.

"You try it on while I go get your accessories." Lenka winks and gives me a quick peck on the cheek.

It takes twenty minutes of figuring out how to button the thing before I actually attempt to get into the dress.

Once I'm in it, I look at myself in the mirror. Sure, my body looks nice in it, but there has been no touch ups to my face, so I look a little dumb.

Lenka has not returned, but she has ordered my prep team to do my face.

I'm pushed down on a cold metal table once they strip me of my dress which hangs neatly on the door in the side of the room.

I lay on the table in nothing but my underpants and bra while my prep team hovers over me, arguing about what type of silver to paint my eyelids. The finally decided on something called 'metallic.'

They put something called 'pale blush' on my face which makes my face freckle-less and clear. They put some lip shine on my lips and smoothed it out. I guess Lenka had told them to leave my hair alone because she came in when they were about to disobey her.

She sends them out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Rinny." She said after they were gone. "Put on your dress and I'll do your hair."

I put on the ball-gown and she puts my hair in a complicated up-do consisting of many braids.

She put 1 karat diamonds in my hair.

She finds an upside-down tiara and puts it in my hair, so the pretty part lands a bit over the top of my nose. Diamond earrings hang down from my ears and stop half over my shoulders.

I look in the body mirror, then at Lenka, and then back in the body mirror.

"Thank-you, Lenka!" I say and give her a big hug and a peck on the cheek. "Thank-you so much!"

"You ready for the interviews?" She winked.

I swallow hard. "Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

**SO SORRY! Where I live, we got _pummeled _by Hurricane Sandi. The _squirrels _were using rowboats. It looks like a bomb went off. We lost power there were 100 + foot trees in the streets and a small tree uprooted in my friend (who lives up the street)'s yard and was only supported by two measly cell lines. A 200 + foot tree almost landed on our house! If the wind had been blowing south instead of west there would've been a hole in our roof! It was AWFUL! Our basement was soaked up until my ankles… So, sorry I haven't been posting.**

**Also, I live in Danbury CT, 2 miles from where the Newtown school tragedy happened. I know this isn't a great excuse, but I've literally _just _come out of depression mode…**

**~Julia**

"So," The announcer Neru Akita says to Piko, who has a techie suit on to represent the computer chips his district makes. Neru's hair consists of a long, blonde side pony swishing gracefully with each movement she makes. She turns abruptly, almost whacking him with her hair, which has spiked jewelry on the ends. _It could be a weapon_, I think.

"What do you like best about being in the capitol?" She says, her voice a bit deep.

He looks up. "Um…" He thinks about it a minute. "Probably… the rooms, I mean… they're HUGE!"

"So, how old are you?" Neru says. "I didn't really catch your age at the reaping."

I lean forwards. Somehow, I really want him to be fourteen like me.

"I'm fourteen." Piko says.

_Aw yeah_! I think, and clench my fist.

I wait patiently until Defoko goes up.

_You go get 'em girl_! I think to myself.

Neru smiles, a crooked, asymmetrical smile. "Oota, is that how you pronounce your name?"

Defoko nods. "Yes ma'am." She's wearing a white blouse and a short, beige pencil skirt. Her short purple hair has been pulled back into a bun at the top of her head.

Neru laughs. "I like the way it sounds. Now, Uta, tell me, what is your favorite part of being in the shining capitol?"

I stifle a laugh. The way Neru said, "Shining capitol" made me want to shriek with laugher, but I controlled it.

"Um…" Defoko tapped her chin. "The over-the-top extravagance. I _love _their fashion sense here!" Defoko stood up. "I mean just _look _at this outfit!"

It's true. Defoko had always enjoyed looking into the cloth store's windows, and sighing to herself, "That linen would look fabulous with my shoes," or, "If I had enough money, I would buy that gorgeous plaid."

The audience ate it up. There was laughter, yelling, and clapping as the purple-haired girl sat down.

Neru smiled. "Now, Uta,"

Defoko nodded for her to continue.

"What were you thinking when you saw your friend Rilane volunteer for her brother?" Neru asked.

Defoko's face turns dead white. "Uh… um…" She pondered for an answer that wouldn't make her sound weak. "I was shocked, I mean, I knew she would do that, I _knew _she would, I just had no idea that I would be going up against her…" Defoko paused to gulp. "She's one of my best friends."

I felt like I had just swallowed a fist of clay. The audience sighed in regret, "Awe…"

I knew they weren't _that _upset.

I hated them.

I wait patiently until her turn is over, luckily, by the time her ten minutes are up, the lump in my throat has dissipated.

"Kagamine, Rilane."

I freeze. _What_? _My turn already_? I think desperately to myself.

I stand up and walk up on the platform, staring at the large audience.

"Hello!" Neru grins.

"Uh… um… hi?" I stammer, unsure of what to think.

Neru runs a hand down her long blonde hair. "Well, what do you think of it here?"

"What?" _What did she say_? My mind is running in circles.

The audience murmurs in, what I know is, impatience. Oh no! I'm blowing it.

"I said, Rilane, what do you think of it, here?" Neru repeats herself.

"I-I-I…" I pause. I have to be honest. "I hate it here." I hang my head. I've blown it. I'm done for. _Why _oh _why _couldn't I have just kept my big mouth shut?

Gasps erupt from the crowd.

Neru forces a smile. "Okay, now would be a good time for a commercial break." She says.

I lay on my bunk bed, atop of Defoko's, thinking about how my interview went.

It's a bit hard to think when a twelve-year-old who snores is sleeping in the bunk under you.

Tomorrow, I'll have to preform my skills for the judges.

Oh how I'm dreading tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

I roll over onto my stomach, and place my forearms under the pillow. I rest my chin on top of my arms. "Oh no." I moan aloud. "I'm a bigger idiot than I had expected."

A moan erupts from Defoko's bed. I lean over the bunk to look at her. Sweat beads were ringed around her forehead. I started to climb down the ladder when the collar around my neck, pulsed an electrical shock throughout my body. "WAAGH!" I screamed and fell off the ladder onto the hard floor.

_Oh yeah_. I think. _I forgot_, _tomorrow we go into the games_. After receiving our scores, there would be a three hour sponsor time, and then we would be shipped off to the the arena. This year, for the arena's theme, it would be forest woods.

This was good for me, but not as good for Defoko. You see, Defoko has asthma, and forest terrain is full of stuff that can cause an attack: pollen, flowers, humidity, etc.

Anyway; I sit up, rubbing my neck. I pull at the collar and a mini-shock hits me this time. _These things must be programmed to electrocute everyone who tries to leave. _I think as I look at Defoko. I walk over to her bed and feel her forehead. It's boiling. I wipe the sweat off of my hand and rip a piece of fabric off of my night clothes. I lay the compress on her forehead and it immediately is soaked.

I rub her forehead and start to cry. "Why?" I hiccup. "Why?" I pause for about three seconds before gripping the sheets and looking up. "WHY?!"


	7. Chapter 7

Today is the day of our private sessions. After preforming for the judges, we'll get our scores, say goodbye, and go into the games. I hop out of bed and look at my neck through the dresser mirror. I have an ugly burn from the shock I received last night, but nothing major, hell, it doesn't even hurt.

I open up the door to the bathroom. I view the most fabulous high-tech shower I've ever seen. _They must have remodeled our bedrooms while we were asleep_. I think. _To let us prepare our _"_good looks_" _for these games_. I roll my eyes and undress out of my camisole and shorts. I step into the shower and push a button… nothing happens. "What?" I state, confused. "Let's try this one…" I push a blue button on the side of the shower. Steam starts to come out of the showerhead, and suddenly, I am bombarded with soaps and scrubbing brushes. I'm literally being squished by these gigantic scrubbers. A Rilane Kagamine sandwich… delightful.

An electronic arm pops out from the showerhead and rubs my hair with some sweet, lilac smelling stuff. I can literally _feel _the grease rising off of my _very _oily hair.

I'm shoved out of the shower by a gust of blow-drying air. All of the water on me is blown off in an instant, and my dry hair floats around me. It's now being combed and flat-ironed and everything.

I walk out of the bathroom in a plain blue leotard. I was told by the intercom to wear it for the training session.

,,,

I'm sitting down next to Defoko and the girl from District 11, Teto. We're waiting to be called up for our private training sessions. Teto decides to go sit next to her brother, Ted, who was taken here with her. I feel so horribly bad for her. Anyway, the boy from District 5, Piko, decides to take her place next to me.

"That was _awesome_, what you said last night!" He says to me. "I wouldn't have thought to say that!"

I blush. "Oh; no," I laugh, nervously, "I totally blew it." I shake my head fast. "You did a lot better."

"You know, you look kind of feminine when you blush." Piko says to me. This makes me blush harder.

"What do y—" I start. I'm interrupted by the intercom.

"Utata, Piko, District 5."

"That's my cue." He says and gets up. "Hey, maybe while we're waiting for our scores, we could grab a bite to eat. I hear the food places in this hotel are incredible." He turns and backhand waves to me. "Later, Rin."

,,,

"Kagamine, Rilane, District 12." I hear the intercom's mechanical speech address me. I'm the only one left. I slowly stand up and walk into the gymnasium.

"Uh, um; R-Rilane Kagamine here." I say to the six judges scrutinizing gaze.

"Well isn't it Little Miss 'I Hate It Here?'" says a woman judge. She has medium-length, pink hair, and she's wearing some sort of green maid's outfit.

"_Excuse _me?" I ask, now facing her. "And just _who _do you think you are, bitch?"

I hear gasps from the five other judges, all of them are male. But the one who addressed me remains stony faced. "I am Momo, and I am the one who has your score in her hands. So go call someone else a, 'bitch.'"

I grimace and look at her. "Whatever."

"Ahem," a red-head judge says to me. "I am Akaito. Can you perform some of your skills for us?"

"Skills? What skills?" Momo shoots at Akaito. "All this pimp can do is sass off!"

"Y'know, kind of reminds me of a certain someone!" Akaito yells at Momo.

The two start yelling at each other. About five minutes in, I yell, "Hey! Can I start? Or are you two babies done fighting?"

"You are dismissed, Rilane." I hear Momo say to me.

_What_? I think desperately to myself. _I_'_ll get a horrible grade! I haven_'_t even performed_! "No! I refuse to leave until I have the respect I deserve."

The two stop quarrelling and turn to look at me. I start to run around the gymnasium at top speed, so fast that I'm sure I appear to be a blur. Then I stop and grab a few knives. I throw them at three dummies, all hitting them in the head. Finally, I hop around the gym on equipment, never touching the ground once.

"You are dismissed, Rilane." Akaito says.

I nod and walk out, feeling defeated.

,,,

I'm at the café with Piko, we're drinking latte's and talking.

"So yeah, that is what happened." I finish telling my story to Piko, who was eagerly leaning on every word.

He leans back in his chair. "Wow, incredible, just incredible." He takes a sip of his latte. "Rin, I want you as an alliance more and more."

I shake my head. "If you take me as an alliance, you'll have to take Uta, too."

"Absolutely."

"Wait, are you for real?"

"Totally."

"So we're alliances, then?"

"Yes."

"Me, you, and Defoko?"

"Defoko?"

"Uta. Defoko is her nickname."

"Oh, then yes."

I sigh and lean back in my chair. "We have ten minutes until the scores are televised."

"Let's go back to our rooms." Piko advised.

"Yeah." I thank the waitress for our coffee's and trudge back to my hotel room. Defoko is already sitting on the bed, staring at the TV.

"Hey, Sweetie." I say to her and sit on the bed.

"Rinny!" she side-hugs me and starts bawling. "Rinny, I'm scared."

"Shh, it'll be alright." I say to her. I'm about to tell her that Piko is on our team, but just then the TV host starts to announce the scores.

Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4, fly by, and I'm not so impressed by their scores, except for SeeU, the girl from District 1. She gets an _eleven_ out of twelve. I wince, how can I compete?

Soon, District 5 comes along. Miku Hatsune gets a score of eight, and then Piko's name comes up.

"Piko Utata's score is…" The announcer pauses for effect, "an incredible score of nine."

"Incredible indeed." I smirk. Soon enough, it is Defoko's and my turn.

"Uta Utatane's score is…" I can see Defoko biting her nails. "an impressive eight, for someone so small."

Defoko squealed and hugged me. "Wow, Sweetie! You got an eight!" I say, rubbing the child's cheek against mine.

"And the last score of the day belongs to Rilane Kagamine." The announcer says. I push Defoko off of me and stare at the TV intently.

"Rilane's score is…"

My stomach lurches as my score flashes up on screen.

I have a… ten.


	8. Chapter 8

"A-a ten?" I gasp in disbelief.

"Simply incredible," Sighs Hachune, as she sits back down in her chair. "I had just known that she was a fighter after seeing what she did for her brother." Just hearing the word 'brother' made my chest tight. I missed him.

The announcer with Hachune nods and says, "Well, that's it, everybody. We'll see you in three hours when the Hunger Games begin!"

,,,

It's time for the final goodbyes. I'm sitting in a room. I haven't gotten to tell Defoko that Piko is our alliance. Oh well, she'll learn soon enough.

The door knob clicks, and in walks my first visitor. Only one person is allowed inside at a time, and this time, we have a half an hour for our goodbyes.

"Meiko!" I yell and run into her arms, my face buried in her stomach. I'm crying and getting her stomach all wet, but she doesn't care.

We stay like that for a long time, until my eyes start to burn. I look at her and whimper.

"Meiko…"

She holds me. "Rin…"

"Is Len going to see me?" I ask. Len wasn't a fan of sad goodbyes. For example, he didn't go to Mother and Father's funeral when they got into that factory accident.

Meiko shakes her head and I start crying all over again. "Meiko, you _make _him. I know he's here!"

Meiko kneels down to look at me. "Of course." She puts her hands on my shoulders. "Rin, just be strong out there, okay? Be strong."

I nod and wipe my nose with my sleeve.

Meiko hugs me one more time and slips out the door. "Bye, Rin."

"Goodbye, Mei."

I sit down and wait for my next visitor, after getting rid of my tears.

I hear a shout, and then the door clicks again.

I see some blonde hair.

"Len!" I scream, and run to him.

"Rin…" We embrace and I'm sobbing again.

"Len…" We rock back and forth in each other's arms.

"Rin, I'm sorry, I got you into this mess." He says.

"No," I sigh. I sit down on the floor. "It's not."

"Yes it is."

"No."

"Who else is it?"

"Len… stop it…"

"It's all my fault!" He yells.

"Len!" I shout. "If I say it's not, then it's not!" I bark back at him.

"I'm… sorry."

I sigh and lean back. "Len, you…" I'm shaking, I'm so frustrated.

I kiss him on the forehead, and start weeping once more. "I'm going to miss you!" I shout. "I'll never see you again!" I break down, my shoulders shaking with each racking breath.

"Rin don't say stuff like that!"

"But it's true and you know it!"

Len was silent. He nodded, stood up, brushed himself off, and started towards toward the door. "It's about time that I leave."

"No!" I shout. I stand up, trip, and then practically grab Len's leg.

"What are you doing?" He asks, once he lands on the ground. "You're not a child!"

I look up, tears streaming down my face. "I can be a child, today!" I let his ankle free.

He pauses and leans up against the door. He motions for me to sit with him.

I sit next to him and put my head on his shoulder.

I spend the rest of my three hours like this, holding Len's hand with my head on his shoulder.

Suddenly, the door flies open and six Peacekeepers come in.

"No." I breathe. "Not yet!" I fling myself on top of Len and embrace him. "No!"

Three Peacekeepers are holding me, and three Peacekeepers are holding Len. They're succeeding in pulling us apart.

Len is fighting them. We're both yelling. It has been five minutes already, and we're only holding on by our left hands.

"Okay, that's it!" yells one of the Peacekeepers. He pulls out a large syringe from his robes and, without warning, jams the needle into Len's side.

He winces, and I feel his hand go limp.

"What did you do to him?" I yell, as his eyes flutter shut. I squeeze his limp hand twice as hard, but it's being pulled away. "What?"

The Peacekeeper that stabbed him pulls the syringe out of his side. "Poison."

"_What_?!" I scream. "_Poison_?!"

"Yes." The Peacekeeper nods. "He's as good as dead."

"You bastards!" I yell. "What do you mean, 'as good as dead?'"

Another Peacekeeper says, "If we don't give him the antidote, he'll be stuck in a coma forever."

"Then give him the antidote, stupid! I'll let go if you do!"

"Fine." The Peacekeeper pulls out a syringe and stabs Len in the side. "He'll wake up in one month."

"One month?" I let go of Len. I look down. "I love you, Len, and I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

,,,

I'm in the clear pedestal, ready to rise up into the dome. I'm wearing a sailor fuku with a yellow bow in the middle. I'm in short shorts and two sleeves and two leg warmers. I readjust my bow and look up, confident.

"I'm going to win." I say aloud. "For Len."


	9. Chapter 9

"Ten, nine, eight, seven…" I feel my chest tighten.

"Six, five, four…" I breathe in deeply, as the timer counts down. I'm shaking on my silver pedestal.

I'm counting with the clock and end with, "Ichi, ni, san!" The timer clicks and I take off running towards the middle of the ring. I grab the first thing that reaches my fingertips, a knife and a mat, when suddenly, I hear Defoko scream.

I turn to see her being taken by Piko, she's screaming and Piko's face is tense. He's screaming something to her and pulling her along.

"Rin!" She screams. "Help!"

I run towards Piko and Defoko as fast as I can, knife in hand.

"Rin!" Defoko screams, sobbing.

"Shh, shh, shh." I say. "It's okay. Piko's our alliance. It's okay, you're safe." I look at Piko. "Give her to me."

We're in the middle of a wood. I hand Piko the knife and I hold Defoko like a newborn.

We slow to a walk and start scouting for water.

_Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! We hear the cannon fire three times. _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! _Boom_! It fires nine more times.

I'm covering Defoko's ears. I mouth, "Twelve people dead." to Piko.

He nods, and I can see him silently begging in his head, for what, I do not know, but I believe that he might have been praying that Miku was okay.

Defoko takes my hands and removes them from her ears. "Rin," she starts to say, "I—" She stops and screams. "AAGH!"

I look in her direction and see the scrawny tribute, Oliver Radcliffe with a knife in his tiny hand. He lunges towards Defoko and me. I grab Defoko's face in my lower arms to protect her and bend over her. I shut my eyes tight and scream.

I feel blood run down my face, but it's not my blood, it's Oliver's.

In haste, Piko stabbed Oliver in the chest. The boy doubled over as Piko ripped the knife out of his chest.

"I-I'm sorry," Oliver says as he crashes to the ground, flat on his back.

I get down on my knees next to him and rub his forehead. "We're all sorry." I pause and then say. "Enjoy Nirvana."

_Boom_! The cannon sounded. Thirteen kids are dead in the first day.

I'm breathing heavily. I stand up and take Defoko's hand. "Let's just go. I don't think I can stand another minute of this."

,,,

We end up in an open field. I sit down and decide that this would be a good place to make camp.

I take Defoko's windbreaker and stretch it out until it's long enough to suffice for a large cloth.

"Damn Defoko. How big did they make this?" I asked her, laughing while I designed the 'tent.' Piko looked back at us and rolled his eyes.

"Shush yourselves," He said and kept keeping watch.

"I asked the seamstress to make it at least two feet, and stretched out it should be at least six." Defoko answered.

"She did a really good job," I say, slinging it over a tree. "This is bigger than me." I roll out the large mat under the 'tent.' "There," I say proudly. "We have ourselves a bed!"

I glance at Piko, he's red. "Oh c'mon, dude!" I joke. "You're so uptight!" I stare at him. "This might be your only chance to sleep with a girl, y'know."

He gets even redder. "W-what?!"

I laugh, "Oh nothing."

I glance up at the sky, it's getting dark, and we have no food and no water. I listen to my grumbling stomach.

"Is there any place to get food in this joint?" I question to nobody in particular. "My tummy's going nuts."

"Oh, yeah," Piko rolls his eyes. "Right next to the _Stop & Shop_."

I roll my eyes as well. "Okay, I get it." I pause. "Can I borrow Oliver's knife?"

Piko nods and hands me the knife. "_You_'_re _going to hunt for us?"

"She's a really good shot," Defoko backed me up. "I've seen her target practice; she's incredible."

Piko sighed and put his hand to his forehead. "Okay, fine." He knew he was defeated.

"I'll get food and come back soon, okay? If I'm not back in two hours, something bad has happened so don't look for me and stay where you are."

I look at Piko and mouth, "If anything happens, be there for her."

He nods.

"But you'll be back! Right, Rinny?" Defoko asks.

I kiss her on the cheek. "Of course, sweetie."

I wave goodbye, clutch the knife, and set out, away from the camp.

,,,

It was well past two hours, and I was totally lost. I look to my left, and then to my right. I'm starting to panic. The sky is a pretty color, kind of like the shade of lilac. On any other night, I would have stopped to admire the beauty, but I was pretty much a magnet to killers. I had an eight pound rabbit slung on my shoulder, and it reeked of blood.

I stopped to spit up a little. I was dehydrated and starving. If I didn't have Defoko and Piko to take care of, I would have devoured the rabbit on the spot.

Suddenly, I hear a voice, no _voices_! I wipe the puke off of my face with my arm and bolt into a nearby tree. The voices are coming closer.

I hold my forehead, for fear that a sweat molecule would fall off and onto the people talking, well, more like yelling.

The two people come into the clearing. I see Miku, running desperately, trying to save herself. "Stop!" she screams. Her face is red.

I lean out more, squinting, trying to see who was chasing her. I look, and see Ted, the tall eighteen-year-old from District 11, running after her with a pistol.

I don't know what happened, but I leaned too far off the tree branch and tumbled down twenty-five feet down onto the leafy ground. All of my breath escapes me and I spit up again.

Ted points the pistol at me.

I shoot up onto my feet, clutching on to the rabbit.

Miku starts to sprint towards me. "Run!" she screamed. She grabs my arm and we're tripping through the forest, watching tree's and rocks exploding behind us as Ted's bullets pierced them.

"Miku, duck!" I scream. I sidle in front of her and throw the knife at Ted. It hits him square between the eyes. _Boom_! Ted crumples to his knees, dead.

Miku and I look at each other in fear. We both know what this means. We formed a five minute alliance, to get away from Ted, but now that it's over, we are enemies again.

We're breathing heavily. I look at her and say. "Let's be alliances for just this night, okay?"

She nods. "I lost my way from my camp."

"Me as well," I agree.

Miku looks at my rabbit. "Is that for the little girl with the purple hair?" She asks.

"And my other alliance, Piko. But I don't think they'll be getting it tonight." I stare at her water bottle. "Is that…?"

"Water?" She finishes for me. "Yes."

I gasp. "Where did you find this?"

Miku points over to some bushes. I follow her finger and see blue, clear water. I stand up and sprint over to it. I drop to my knees and dip my face into it. I suck in as much as I can. I sigh once I'm done. I had never tasted anything so delicious.

I go back to Miku, and we talk for a little bit. Turns out she has a little brother back home. Mikuo. I liked the way it sounded.

It was dark, and it got cold. Miku and I snuggled in close together, and went to bed hungry.

,,,

It was bright out when I awoke. Miku was nowhere to be found, but she left me something. It was a note and her large water bottle. The note stated, in clear Japanese:

_Dear Rilane Kagamine_,

_These are all of my possessions_. _I want to thank you for saving me from Ted_. _Without your help_, _I would have been killed_. _I am giving you my water bottle_, _so fill it all the way up_. _When you read this_, _I will be dead_; _I don_'_t think I can deal with this anymore_. _Thank_-_you for being my friend_. _My body will be by the river_, _for I am drowning myself_.

_Thank_-_you again,_

_Miku Hatsune_

I was in tears, clutching the note tightly in my hand. "No!" I scream. "Miku, why?"

My tears hit the paper, smudging the ink.

I pick up her water bottle and my rabbit, and start over to the river, sobbing all the way.

It only takes a second of searching before I see her body. It's on the riverbank in some mud. She looked so peaceful. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were intertwined right on top of her heart. Her long, teal pigtails were spread out next to her body, and the left one was floating in the water. Her skin looked so clear and her mouth was slightly open.

Suddenly, I see her stomach rise up, just a slight amount. She was still alive!

I start CPR until her eyes flutter open.

"R-Rin?"

"Miku!" I scream.

She coughs. I watch as a trickle of blood runs down her chin. The reality of the situation sinks in. She had too much water in her lungs. She was going to die.

Miku knows this, and puts her hand up to my eyes. She wipes away the tears in my right eye and then my left. "Don't cry," she says. "It's what I want."

_It_'_s what I want_… those words echo in my mind for a while.

I look down at her again, she's crying silently. "Goodbye," she whispers. Her hand goes limp on my face.

I hold it there for a while, and then put it to my mouth. Even in death she looked like a princess.

I dry my eyes and stand up. I fill up her water bottle, and leave, without looking back.

,,,

I'm fighting my way through the forest; I know where I am now! I'm so close to the camp, I can taste it!

And then, I hear Piko scream, and then a cannon fires.

_Oh_ _no_! My stomach drops.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm having a contest! ^^ It's an art contest! I'd appreciate any and all fan-art for this story! (Just keep it clean!) All entries can be submitted to DeviantArt on my page: JustAnotherTomboy. Just tag me and I'll see it! The winner gets their picture as my book-cover here on as well as a shout-out for their DeviantArt and/or FanFiction. Good luck! (If you would like to participate in this contest but do not have a DeviantArt, PM me, and we'll try to figure something out.)**

**~Julia**

I run back to the camp, scared on who died.

Piko is standing over Defoko's lifeless body, knife in hand. My ally has betrayed us.

"Defoko!" I scream and run towards her.

"Piko! You _monster_! How could you?!" I pounce on him and rock his shoulders.

Piko grabs my head in his arms, headlock style.

"Defoko!" I shout. "You killed her, and now you're going to kill me!" I struggle in his grasp.

"No! You have it all wrong!" Piko shouts.

"Then drop me!" I shout.

Piko covers my mouth and nose. I grab his arms, desperately scratching them.

He falls backwards into a ditch when—

_BOOM_!

A huge explosion goes off. Defoko is blasted sixty feet into the air.

Her legs fly around her, and her arms are just limp.

"NO!" I scream under Piko's hand, "DEFOKO!"

Smoke flies everywhere. Piko just saved me by jumping into a ditch and covering my mouth and nose.

Defoko lands right next to me. The explosion dies.

Piko lets me go and I run next to Defoko.

"Baby…" I whimper, holding her hand, which is slowly losing warmth.

Piko walks up next to me, he's coughing. I feel horrible for accusing him of Defoko's death. He used his hands to cover my mouth and nose, so he must have sucked in a lot of debris.

"P-Piko?" I ask, trembling.

"Yes?" He looks really sad.

"How did she die?"

He looks alarmed.

"It was that girl, SeeU, the one with the cat ears. I came back with berries and saw Defoko in a net, still as stone. I went to cut her out when…" He looks down.

"What?" I ask.

"SeeU came out of the trees and set off a land mine. She laughed and said, 'What fools. She was already dead. _I _killed her.' That was when you came back and the explosion happened."

I squeezed Defoko's hand, now cold. My tears dripped down her face.

"You were close to her, weren't you?" Piko says.

I nod, and then I start to weep.

"NO! Wake up!" I slap her face, but it's useless. I broke my sanity, my composure diminished. My breaking point had been reached.

Piko knows we're being filmed. "Rin! Stop!" He pats my shoulder; I shake it off and snap at him.

"_How dare you tell me to calm down_?!" I shriek. I stand up and get in his face. "Defoko is dead! _You _let this happen! _Why _didn't you take her with you? She's _twelve_! A twelve-year-old _cannot _fend for herself, because G-d forbid something happens! _Which it did_! This is all of _your _fault! You bastard!"

He looks at me with large eyes, they're watering. "I _know _this, Rin! It's my fault and I'm sorry!" His eyes, which were watery, are now replaced with rage. "But where were _you_?"

"Watching Miku commit suicide!" I sink to my knees in the dirt. My eyes are covered with my hands. "She was so nice to me!" I screamed. "Here," I jab the suicide note in his face, which is in a mix of shock and sadness. "Read it!"

He opens the letter up and looks at it. He unfolds the note further. "I-it says something about me in it," he says in a voice that makes it obvious that he's crying.

"I-it does?" I ask. He hands the note to me.

I look at the spot that Piko has opened up. It says right there:

_Dear Piko Utata_,

_ I folded this part of this letter into our secret language_. _This part of the letter is for you_. _There is something I_'_ve always wanted to tell you_, _so_, _here goes_…

_I_'_m in love with you_! _And I_'_m sorry that you weren_'_t able to know this until I died_. _I am so sorry_.

_Goodbye_,

_Miku Hatsune_

"Is this what you want? To see innocent children die like this little girl?" I point to Defoko's lifeless body. "Or young women with bright futures like Miku Hatsune? To watch brothers and sisters kill each other like Ted and Teto Kasane? Is this what you want? This is _sick_! I don't care if I don't get any food and supplies now. This is sick. This game is sick. The people who bet on our survival are sick. Defoko was one of my best friends back home and _you _killed her. Dying at twelve is sick." I rant to the hidden cameras. "_This _is why I hate the Capital!"

Piko says something as well:

"The girl I love is fighting for her life and sanity."

_Who_'_s that girl_? I wonder.

"I won't ever see her again after the Games. Why do you do this to us? That is all I have to say."

That was really deep.

I kneel down to Defoko's side and close her eyelids.

I sing an old song I wrote for Len on his birthday. Defoko liked it and asked me to sing it for her all the time.

I called it, "Servant of Evil."

Piko wanted to sing a song too. He sang it off of the top of his head and called it, "The Disappearance of Defoko Utatane."

"Goodbye, Defoko." I whisper into her ear and walk away without looking back.

,,,

A few hours later, Piko and I have regained our composures and were scavenging for food.

"So," I ask him. "Who was that girl you said you loved?"

Piko stops.

"I mean, it couldn't have been SeeU. Maybe IA? Or, mmph—!"

His lips were pressed against mine.

We stayed that way for at least ten seconds. His eyes were closed but mine were wide open in surprise and shock.

He blushes.

"It's you," He says and runs away, leaving me dazed and confused.

I sit down on a stone and cry.

_What_'_s going on with me_?

,,,

I find Piko an hour later at the blown up campsite.

"Hey you," I say to him.

He blushes. "Hey, I'm really sorry about what I did I—"

I put a finger to his lips. "Shh. It's fine." I smile. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He smiles and leans in again; only this time he doesn't make it to my lips.

_BOOM_!

A gun fires.

"Agh!" Piko coughs up blood and then falls in my arms.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I cry, as he struggles to breathe, a hole in his back. "Not on the second day, do not die! I'll never forgive you if you die!" Teary-eyed me hiccups. What happened to the girl that never cried?

SeeU steps out from behind three trees.

"Hmm. Lover Boy got hit because of you," She says in that Korean accent of hers.

"SeeU. Please. No." I look at her. "Don't."

She smirks and points her gun at me. "And why not?" She asks. "He's just Piko, nobody special. Now you… I think you're special." She walks up to me and lifts my chin up with the barrel of her pistol.

SeeU grabs my face with her hand and hoists my up on my feet. I hold onto Piko by the waist and he limply leans.

"Drop him," SeeU says.

I hold fast to Piko.

"I said, drop him!" SeeU orders, slamming the butt of the pistol into Piko's head. He moans and a bloody patch appears where he had been hit. I lay him down on the dirt gently.

"That's better," She cooed. "Now, like I said, you're special. I could use you."

I grit my teeth.

"Oh? You seem upset. If you're worried about food, or a warm place to sleep, I've got plenty of both, don't worry. What is it that you want?" SeeU sighed.

"Piko!" I shout.

She smirks. "You really are special." She drops me and I put Piko's head in my lap.

"No matter. I'll let you go this time, Kagamine." She says. "But be warned. I will find you again."

With that, she jumps into a tree and takes off.

"Hey, Piko, you hanging in there?" I say to him.

I get a low moan in response.

"I wish I had medical stuff." I mumble.

I look back down to Piko. I notice how unnaturally pale he looks, and how cold he is.

"No, not you too." I say, my voice cracking.

I breathe in and out. _He should live Rin_. My brain told me. _Just ask for help_.

"Help!" I scream out, and then I realize what a stupid move that was.

I hear a mechanical sound. Like a _bzzt_!

Then I see it… a bag. I scramble for it and read the letter. _To Rilane_-_chan _. _Thank-you for caring about the two tributes of District _5. _U_se_ this well_. _From the people of District 5_.

I open the duffle bag and gasp. This is enough for Piko. Gauze, cream, some spray, tweezers, bandages, and medical tape.

"Thank you people of District Five." I say.

_BOOM_! a cannon fires. My stomach drops.

I scramble to where Piko is. I lay my head on his chest. I hear the faint _ka-thunk _of his heartbeat. Someone else must've died.

I start unloading the contents of the duffle bag.

I look at Piko. "I'm going to have to take off your shirt. Is this okay?"

He barely manages a nod.

I sit him up and cut off his shirt with a stone.

I blush hard and try to ignore the fact of a boy's naked top half lying on my chest.

I take the tweezers, stick them in the bullet wound, and pull out a lead ball.

This causes Piko to wince.

"I'm sorry, Piko," I whisper.

I reach into the bag and take out something called, "Anti Germ Disinfecting Spray."

It sounded useful so I sprayed it on Piko's head and back. I then took out some gauze and wrapped it around his head to stop the bleeding, and I put on a huge amount of medical tape to secure it.

I wrap gauze around his back in a diagonal fashion so it goes over his left shoulder and then wrap it horizontally in the lower back area. I pray that it will stop the bleeding and put medical tape on the gauze to secure it.

It got dark, so I head over to a fairly hidden cave, carrying Piko like a princess, his weight a burden. I put a bunch of rocks in front of the entrance and it gets darker.

I'm very cold, and Piko is getting warmth back. I lay him down on the mat and lay my head across his bare chest (minus the gauze).

I'm tired, and I plan to sleep the entire night.

"Goodnight, Piko." I yawn.

I hear an interpretable mumble.

It was better than moaning.

I bury my face in the gauze, and sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**I haven't gotten any PM's for my contest yet. :(**

**~Julia**

Light is shining through the cracks in the rocks and onto my face. I yawn and rise off of Piko's chest.

I crack my back and neck, a chill and rush of relief goes through me.

"Nya…" I sigh, sounding like a cat.

I shake Piko. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Wake up."

He stirs. "Hey, Rin," He mumbles.

"Hi, Piko. You feel any better?"

"Yeah," He tries but fails to sit up. "I'm just really cold, and hungry."

"Yeah..." I scratch the back of my head. "Sorry, your shirt is rags now because I had to cut it up to get the bullet out, and I need to go hunting today, because my rabbit was destroyed in the explosion."

Piko reaches behind his back and pushes the wound gently. "Ow…" he winces.

"Duh, it's going to hurt. Don't touch it! I gotta change the gauze, so sit up," I help him sit up.

Piko sighs. "You're just like my Mom."

I start cutting off the bandages with a sharp-edged stone. "What's your family like?" I ask.

Piko coughs. "Well," he looks up to the sky. "I have a little sister named Yoko… I'm not sure if she's still alive, though."

My heart twanged as I thought of that little girl who was shot with some sort of stun gun. "Yeah, I saw that. It was very brave of you to try and kill six Peacekeepers."

He looks down. "Yeah, Yoko's my little jewel; she's the most precious thing I have."

"I know the same feeling," I say, thinking of my paralyzed Len. Gumi and Kaiko are up there as well.

Piko nods. "I'm sure everyone does. I also have two older twins Rui and Rei, they're both eighteen."

I smirk and check the hole in his back; I hope it's one of those wounds that gets worse before it gets better, because this was looking pretty bad. "Twins, huh? I'm a twin."

Piko ignores my statement and says, "How does it look?"

I lie. "A lot better."

"Lies."

I sigh. "Okay, it looks bad. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

I start to laugh, and then he starts to laugh.

I spray on the anti-bacterial spray.

"Ow…" Piko winces. "Rinny… that hurts."

I sigh and replace both bandages, the one on his head first, the one on his back second. "Grow a pair."

"Hey!" Piko snipes.

I smirk. "Well," I get up. "I'm going hunting." I kiss him on the forehead and lay him down.

"Be safe," He sighs.

I smirk, "It's _you _I'm more worried about." I kiss him on the forehead again. "Later, dude."

,,,

I'm running through the forest, exasperated and sweating. Spit is covering the opening of my mouth, making it difficult to breathe. I have a food item slung in the duffle bag I got from the first-aid kit. It's a goose.

I'm tripping through the forest, trying desperately to get away from District Six's tribute… a woman with pink hair who I've forgotten the name of.

She lifts her bow and arrow and points it at me. I see her release the drawstring and—

I hit the ground; there is an arrow in my shoulder. It pierced right through the tendons and muscles. I scream and watch as the blood runs down my tank-top.

As my vision goes blurry, I mumble something: "I'm so sorry, Len…"

And then, I go black.

,,,

"_Wake up_!"

I moan in pain. I still cannot see anything.

"Are you okay? _Wake up_!" I feel hands shake my shoulders. My wound is throbbing, and the pain forces me awake. I see SeeU standing over me.

I scream and ball my fist. I force my hand up too SeeU's face. She grabs my arm and laughs. "Ha! Even in your current state, you still have enough energy to fight, eh?" She pauses. "Y'know, you should thank me. I patched you up." She points to my shoulder. My entire shirt is off of me and being used as a gauze pad.

I blush. "Wah!" I cover my chest, which is only hidden by a few scraps of fabric, stand up, and start running away.

SeeU looks enraged and starts chasing me. "You bitch! Come back here!"

As I said, I'm incredibly fast. There was _no _way she could have caught me.

I run until I get to the cave. I crash in through the stones and reassemble them in haste. I throw down the duffle bag which contains the goose, and run over to Piko.

"Are you okay to move? Because we have to! Now!" I scream.

He rolls over to look at me, and his nose bleeds. "R-Rin," he stammers, embarrassed. "What happened to your sh-shirt?" He gulps. "Uhm…"

I blink. "I got shot with an arrow and got kidnapped by SeeU who patched me up. Let's _go_!" I yell, pulling him to his feet. "She could be here any minute!"

As soon as I say so, a bullet bursts through the cave wall and hits Piko right in the stomach.

_Boom_! a cannon fires.

"No!" I scream, and sink to my knees. I kiss him. "No!" My tears drip down on his face, which is pale. His eyes are closed and his mouth is closed. I put his head in my lap and lean over him, my forehead on his.

"Piko…" I whimper, hugging his head. "No, no, no…" I gulp. "Piko, I love you." I sob, screaming, racking sobs. "_Piko_! _Don_'_t leave me all alone_!"


	12. Chapter 12

I can feel my heart pounding through my skin. _He_'_s dead_, _Rin_. _There_'_s _nothing _you can do now but leave him_!

I frantically search around the cave for something to use to defend myself, I find the two knives.

"Shit!" Is the only thing I can muster saying as I run from inside my cavern to the outside. SeeU's shocked face indicated that she had not expected me to come out alone. I sprinted away from her, away from Piko. I rub my eyes on my arm and run into a tree.

SeeU looks up the tree, and her face twists in rage.

I grin, "What's the matter, SeeU? Why can't you come up to kill me?"

Her electronic cat ears twitch, "I'm a _cat_! I won't be able to come back down! I'll get stuck." She pulls on a piece of her hair. "And what happened to Lover Boy?" She asked. "Did he abandon you?"

My face flushed with fury. "No! You succeeded! You killed him." Tears start running down my cheeks again.

SeeU crosses her arms under her chest. "So I killed two of the most important people in this arena?"

I nod. "Yes!"

SeeU rubs her eyes. "Eighteen down, six to go. But since I can't go up there with you, I'll go find a new victim. Cheerio!" She waves to me as if we were good friends, and _not _as though she wanted me dead.

I stay in the tree, and curse myself for not finding a way to kill her. I pull Defoko's sweater out from my duffle bag, and set it out in the thickest tree branch. I pull out my goose and de-feather it. I start a fire by rubbing tree twigs together, and keep the flames away from the trunk by surrounding it with wet leaves. I roast the goose on the small fire, and finally eat, after two full days. I sip in Miku's water bottle, and drink until it's empty. I pick the goose clean, and throw the bones out of the tree. I tie all of my supplies (a duffle bag and a water-bottle) to the tree with part of Defoko's sweater. I lean against the tree trunk. I look at it and trace a circle on one of my head flesh wounds until it breaks. I wince and dip my finger in the blood, and write Piko, Defoko, and Miku on the tree.

I clench my fist into a ball; the wound I opened on my forehead was bleeding into my eye, clouding my vision, but I didn't care. I clenched my fist into a bloody ball, and screamed at the top of my lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I punch the tree bark, rip leaves out of their sockets, and shake myself by wrapping my hands on a branch and pushing and pulling my top half against them. I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, so I wouldn't even be able to hear a cannon if it decided to go off. My yellow hair is stained red in some parts, but I don't care. I just want this to be _over_ God dammit!

I swallow hard, and lay down in the tree. This will be the night. The night I die… I will probably be assassinated, gone. But it doesn't matter. I'm just a game-piece for the Capital to toy with, besides, I'll be with _them_. People like SeeU were meant to win this game. She's a cold-blooded assassin, with no trust for anyone.

I'll be forgotten…

And that's perfectly okay.

,,,

Turns out I was wrong. Here I am three weeks later! It took a while, but I stopped mourning over Piko's death, and started giving life a chance. Four more children have died, so this leaves SeeU and I. I have killed one other person, and this was the pink-haired girl. I stabbed her in the chest in self-defense.

There was about one death a week, and I'm the next target…

Well fuck.

I'm _terrified_ of being found by SeeU. I'm _paranoid_!

But I have a feeling that today is the day. It's too perfect a day. It's an autumn morning, the sun is bright, it's nippy out, and the yellow leaves were practically translucent through the sun.

Yup.

Today is _too _perfect.

I suck on my fingers to keep them warm, and pull Defoko's sweater over my head. It's very warm inside. I say goodbye to the tree, and head out in search of food.

Wind whips through my hair, and gives my cheeks some color. As I walk on blankets of red, yellow, and brown leaves, I stumble upon a marsh with berries. I look at the berries. They're raspberries, so I pop a few in my mouth. I broke the tender skin and the juice exploded in my mouth. I moaned and ate a few more, when I heard a snap behind me.

I jerked my upper-body in the direction of the sound, and saw a glint of blonde hair. The berries fall out of my hand and I sprint away, into a clearing. I pull my knife out of my belt-loop, and hold it in front of me.

I hear heavy breathing behind me, and turn to look. It's SeeU, and she's smiling. I stop short, and SeeU slams into me. She falls backwards, and I fall forwards. We turn to face each other.

SeeU rubs her eye, where her head collided with the back of mine. "You bitch!" She points her pistol at me and fires. I duck out of the way _just _in the nick of time. The bullet chops off a little bit of my hair.

I sprint into the open field and turn around for a split second. I hold the knife in front of me in my shaking hands. "I'll throw it!"

"You won't ! You'll run out of ammo!" SeeU counters.

I grin, she doesn't know I have another knife… Oliver's.

I chuck the knife at her face. She easily dodges it, and before I have enough time to react, she's on top of me, her pistol shoved in my mouth.

Spit is running down the left side of my mouth, and my eyes are stinging from the access gunpowder. "You ready to die?" SeeU smiles, an insane glint in her eyes.

I flinch. "Mae Ii mwik." I say, and turn my head away.

"I couldn't quite catch that." SeeU pulls the gun from my mouth.

"I said, make it quick," I say, my spit trailing from the barrel of the gun, onto my mouth.

SeeU puts the gun back in my mouth, and into my throat. I gag. "Gladly," she says.

I wince, and pull Oliver's knife from out of my pocket. I jab it into SeeU's chest.

BOOM! A cannon fires.

"May I present to you the victor, of the 101st Annual Hunger Games!" The intercom announces.

I lug SeeU's body off of me, and slide the gun out of my mouth. I throw the horrid thing to the side of me.

A shadow washes over me, like a wave. I look up and see a hovercraft. It lowers a gurney type thing down by a rope. I lay down in the gurney, and let the rope lift me up into the hovercraft.

Inside the hovercraft is like being in a whole entire new world. It's nearly _entirely _blue, and there are people in white labcoats _everywhere_! And that is the last thing I remember before a woman with long, silver hair in a long ponytail, stabs an IV in my arm, and I pass out.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time I stir, I realize I'm in a hospital bed. I'm dizzy, and my sight is blurry. The silver-haired woman is standing over me.

"Are you okay? How do you feel?" She asks me.

I touch my heart. "_Oh_; just _fine_!" I glare at her. "Fucking _peachy_."

She sighs, "I am Doctor Haku Yowane, and I understand how you feel."

It takes all of my strength to keep from spitting in her eye. "No you don't!" I bark. "No, you don't understand what it feels like to have your best friend, a very friendly woman, and your first love be killed! How could _you possibly _understand what it feels like to kill innocent people?"

Dr. Yowane sighs and lifts up a side of her labcoat. Underneath, there is the marking for the VocalUtau Defense Force stitched to her shirt. "I believe this explains itself," she folds her labcoat back over the stitching.

I lay there aghast. _Who cares_? I think. _It_'_s just a stupid marking_. _I did it at a younger age than her_.

I lay there in spite for a while before she sits me up and takes the IV out of my arm. Instantly, I feel more wide awake. I look down at my body, expecting scars, but all I see is my normal, freckly skin. I rub my hands down my arms. "Uhm, what? Why aren't there any scars?" I ask.

"We performed a special surgery on you," Dr. Yowane says, as if this explained everything.

I nod as if I understand. "Okay…"

,,,

"LENKA!" I yell, as I run into my stylist's arms once we hit our landing.

"Rinny~!" She yells and embraces me. Her arms are so warm. She's in a pink sweater and blue bootcut jeans. Her brown Mary Jane's click together in excitement. "I'm so happy you are okay!" She pauses to tap a blue pen against her mouth. "Now what should we put you in for the Victor's Celebration?"

My stomach drops. The Victor's Celebration… I would stand in front of the Capital and hold a trophy above my head. I would then go to the separate districts and attend the funerals of the children lost victim to the Hunger Games.

I must have had a pretty pained look on my face, because Lenka stopped her pondering and shook my shoulders.

"Hey, I know this must be very difficult for you, a young woman of fourteen." She pauses again. "But you must live for _now_!"

I nod and put on a fake smile, "Oh! I was just in adolescence! Just continue with your work, Lenka. I'll be totally fine!"

Lenka raises an eyebrow at me, but pulls out a sketch pad and starts doodling the design for my outfit.

I sit in the chair across from her and rest my chin on my hands. I let my eyes wander out the window. For a split second, I feel a name I haven't spoken for a long time cross my lips, so softly that even I doubted I had said it, but I did.

Len.

Lenka looked up from her work. "Hm? Did you just say something, Rin?" She asked, placing her pen diagonally on her design.

I look away from the window and face her. "I was just thinking about my baby brother, is all…" I say, and face the window once more.

She looks at me for a while longer and says, "He's still sleeping. He's due to wake up any day, though."

"Can I go see him?" I say in a voice that is barely audible.

Lenka started her design again. "Now _that_," she paused to blow on an ink blot on her paper, "I do not have the authority to answer."

I bite my lip and then say, "Then _who does_?"

Lenka looks up again and stares at me for a bit. "I do not know. All I know is that you are to stay here in this building until I am told otherwise."

"_I want to see my brother_, _Lenka_!" I cry out. I immediately cover my mouth. I shouted at Lenka, who had absolutely no reason to be yelled at.

The shock on Lenka's face is enough to make me want to rub lemon juice in my eyes. She looks down, sighs loudly, and then stands up from her desk.

I wince. "Uh, I'm, uh, really sorry, Lenka. I didn't mean—"

"It's okay, you must be very upset. I don't blame you, I would be too, if I was in your place, Rilane." She walks over to me and ruffles my hair. "Don't beat yourself up."

And just like that, I'm crying. Once again, I have been forgiven for something I shouldn't have been forgiven for. This time, I don't try to hide my tears; I'll show the world that I'm a mess.

Lenka wraps me in her arms and sways me back and forth.

,,,

"And… _done_!" Lenka throws down her blue pen and holds up her drawing of a very short, strapless dress.

I wince when I see it. "My God, Lenka, could you have been any more provocative?" I ask, noting the slits in the sides, right under where my chest would be.

She smirks and flips the paper over. "Yup," she says happily.

The drawing is of the back of the dress… well, really, there is no back of the dress, except to cover my butt.

"Lenka," I gulp. "This is skin tight!"

Lenka smiles and giddily says, "I know, right?"

I'm about to object, but then suddenly, a door slams open and a large man walks in.

Lenka's smile disappears, and she immediately drops to her knees, shaking uncontrollably.

"Lenka, what's the matter?" I ask her.

She shushes me, and pushes my head down, until I too, am on my knees.

"Ow! Lenka?"

"Shush!"

"Are you Rilane Kagamine?" The man asks me.

I look up. "Who are you?"

The man looks taken aback. "I am President Tonio. Your leader."

"P-President Tonio?" I look down. I'd only seen him in books at school. He looked so different in real life.

The president nodded. "Yes, now if you would be so kind as to answer my before question, I would be ever so grateful."

I stand up. "I am Rilane Kagamine, of District 12." I put two fingers to my forehead in a salute.

President Tonio nods, and extends his hand. "Follow me."

I take his hand, and let him lead me into a room.

And in that room was my unconscious little twin brother:

Len.


	14. Chapter 14

I stand exactly where I am, too in shock to move. "Len!" I scream.

Doctor Yowane comes into the room with some drugs. "Shh, Rin, please don't yell. It is bad for the patients."

I look around the room and realize that Len is not the only patient in here. About six more boys are in the room, with hair color-pallets ranging from fiery red to deep indigo.

Doctor Yowane unhooks Len's IV and replaces it with a red liquid. "I think I've grown more fond of him then my nieces," she tells me while rubbing his forehead.

I jump as she touches his skin. "Don't you touch him!"

Doctor Yowane pulls her hand away. President Tonio and Doctor Yowane look at me as if I'm crazy.

I run over to my brother, and move past Doctor Yowane. "Don't touch him!" I say, resisting the urge to tear up. "Leave us alone!"

President Tonio and Doctor Haku look at each other with pained expressions on their faces, turn, and walk out of the room.

Half of the boys in the room are staring at us, the other three are sleeping.

"I'm sorry, if I woke you," I say to the boys in the room, while stroking Len's hair.

"You didn't," a boy with teal hair says. "In fact, that was the most interesting thing I've seen all week, since I've been here." He pauses. "Is that your brother?" He points to Len.

I look at him with my head cocked to the left. I pause stroking Len's hair. "Yes… who are you?"

"Mikuo Hatsune, Miku Hatsune's brother," He says.

My stomach drops. "You're her brother?"

Mikuo nods. "I just got a disease about six weeks ago, they're treating me here."

I gulp and look at the tag dangling off of the foot of his bed. It reads:

**_Name_****: **_Hatsune_,_ Mikuo_

**_Age_****: **_Fourteen (Adolescent)_

**_Disease_****: **_Leukemia_

**_Treatment_****: **_Due to hospice in three weeks _

I wince. _Hospice_? _He must be really sick_.

He takes one look at my face and smiles. "I know I'm dying; but at least then I'll be with onee-chan."

A lump forms in my throat. "Y-your sister," I try to swallow the lump, but it won't go down. "Was v-very ad-admirable," my voice squeaks out.

He looks at me with large eyes. "I know. And I appreciate what you did for her."

I put my hand to my heart and stare at him. "Oh honey…" I walk over to his bed and stare at him.

He blushes and hides his face in his sheets. **(A/N: If anyone draws fan-art for this part I will do nearly anything for them.) **"What?" He asks.

"N-nothing," I say. "You remind me of someone. I just can't put my finger on it."

We stay like that for about five minutes, until I hear a moan emit from Len's bed.

"Len?" I ask. "Len?"

Mikuo sits up and supports his top half on his forearms.

"Doctor Yowane! Doctor Yowane!" I yell. "Doctor Yowane!"

Doctor Yowane rushes into the room with a syringe in hand. "What is it?" She asked.

"Len just moaned!"

"What?" She pulls a stethoscope from behind her neck and pulls up Len's shirt. She puts the stethoscope ear-tips in her ears and the chest-piece on his chest.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "Doctor SF-A2! Please come here! I need assistance!"

A woman with bright red hair walks in and takes the stethoscope away from Doctor Yowane. She listens to Len's heart.

"Oh my God," she mouths. "Rapid heartbeat."

"Rapid heartbeat?" I ask, sweating. "What's that?"

"It's when your heart beats abnormally fast." Doctor Yowane informs me.

"Is he going to be okay?" I ask.

"Most likely he's about to wake up," Doctor SF-A2 says to me. "We can leave for now. Tell us when he wakes up." She hands me a stool and places it next to Len's bed.

As soon as the two Doctors leave, I sit on the stool and stare at my younger twin brother. His face is sweating, and he has this frustrated look on his face.

I hover my hand over his cheek; I pull back a little bit before putting my hand on the side of his face.

I kiss his forehead, sit back up, and the world goes black.

,,,

I wake up with my head on the bed. Len's knees are right in front of my face.

I jerk my body up and look at Len's face. Still no sign of waking up. I look out of the window. It is pitch dark out. All of the boys in the room are sleeping, and the clock on the wall reads, 12:00 midnight.

I rub my eyes and walk into the lobby of the hospital. I see a few of the nurses sleeping in chairs. I look at one and say, "Um, Doctor?"

She jumps slightly at the sound of my voice. "Oh, hello, Rin," she says. "What can I get you?"

"Can I use the bathhouse? And get a toothbrush, a comb, and pajamas?"

The nurse yawns and hands me a towel from a rack behind the reception desk. "The bathhouse is over there," she points to a corridor.

I thank her, and walk into the locker room of the bathhouse. I strip down to my skin and walk into the bath.

The water is hot and relaxing, nothing like the showers. I let the steam rise up around my head, as I take the faucet and sprinkle the hot water all over my yellow hair.

I take some orange citrus shampoo off of a rack and smother my hair in the stuff. I let it soak for a while and then rinse it out. I cover my body in moisturizer and rinse it off.

I soak in the tub for about twenty minutes longer, and then walk back into the locker room, to find that toiletries have been placed in a purple tin box with a white handle. I dry off with the white towel I was given; and then brushed and dried my hair with the purple brush and hairdryer.

I then change into the orange tank-top and white pajama shorts I was given.

And finally, I brush my teeth. I give them a hard, well-deserved scrub.

I leave the toiletries in the locker room, and head back to Len's room. It is now 1:45 in the morning and I sit back on the uncomfortable stool.

Doctor Yowane comes back in to check on the patients. "I see you've freshened up."

I nod, still facing Len.

"Would you like something more comfortable to sit in?" She asks me.

I nod vigorously. "Please," I say.

Doctor Yowane calls in Doctor SF-A2 and instructs her to give me a portable bed. She comes back with a portable beanbag. It's white, just like everything else, but at least it's comfortable, and I can still see Len well.

Everything worked out.

And for the first time in a long time.

I fell asleep happy and had pleasant dreams.

Dreams about Piko, Defoko, and Miku. Dreams about Gumi and Kaiko. Dreams about Meiko and Mom and Dad. Happy dreams.

The dreams that comfort you, yet make you feel lonely at the same time.

Those types of dreams.

I dreamed about happy times with all of those people.

But my happiness didn't last long (surprise surprise).


End file.
